Air India has announced that it will restart direct flights between Delhi and Shanghai from February 1, 2026. This will be the airline’s first direct service to China in nearly six years. The services were halted by the then government-owned carrier in early 2020 due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
"The reinstatement of Air India's services to Shanghai follows recent India-China diplomatic agreements that restored the air links paused in early 2020. Air India first launched non-stop services to mainland China in October 2000," the release said.
Now part of the Tata Group, the airline said the return of the Delhi–Shanghai link marks an important step in rebuilding its China network. Air India also revealed plans to begin a non-stop Mumbai–Shanghai service sometime in 2026, although this will depend on regulatory clearance.
The Delhi–Shanghai flights will run four times a week and will be operated with Boeing 787-8 aircraft. Each aircraft will have 18 business class seats and 238 economy seats. With Shanghai added back to the network, Air India Group will serve 48 international destinations.
Direct air travel between India and China restarted only recently, on 26 October, after a long suspension caused by the pandemic and later by tensions along the eastern Ladakh border. Following improvements in diplomatic ties, IndiGo resumed its Kolkata–Guangzhou service on October 26 and launched Delhi–Guangzhou flights on November 10. China Eastern Airlines also began direct flights between Delhi and Shanghai on November 9.
